COLUMBUS, Ohio – As he will every Tuesday throughout the football season, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer participated in the Big Ten coaches’ conference call just moments ago.

Meyer addressed a handful of issues and discussed the Buckeyes’ preparation for the matchup with Indiana on Saturday, including:

Meyer said the key to keeping his inexperienced team focused is by keeping things “real” and said that Indiana is “real.” When the video is not very good on a team, Meyer said, sometimes you have to create scenarios to motivate players, but that’s not the case with the Hoosiers after they beat Michigan State last Saturday.

The running back situation at Ohio State is a good one, Meyer said, but DeMario McCall isn’t the “same level” as Mike Weber and Curtis Samuel. He said the freshman from North Ridgeville, Ohio needs to get physically more mature.

Quarterback J.T. Barrett getting 95 percent of the reps is responsible for his improved decision-making, according to Meyer. He said that was a problem in the past when Barrett was splitting time.

Samuel is a Heisman Trophy candidate, not just Barrett, and Meyer compared the combination of Samuel and Barrett to his 2008 Florida tandem of quarterback Tim Tebow and wide receiver Percy Harvin.

Meyer said he hadn’t realized Barrett was so close to breaking Bobby Hoying’s all-time passing touchdown record at Ohio State. Barrett threw four Saturday to give him 59, two more than Hoying. He said Barrett’s performance has been “incredible.”

Gareon Conley is “much more confident” and is taking better care of himself physically, according to Meyer. He said Conley is a “big-time” leader and a leader of the defense with Raekwon McMillan.

Meyer mentioned Robert Landers as a player he could have missed out on if an early signing period were instituted in college football. He said a player has the right to go wherever he wants and to take his time to find the right college.